Theatrical apparatus.



H. L. BOWDOlN.

THEATRICAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.5,'1912.

1,146,548. Patented July 13, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES. I IN I/E/V 70/? WM- ti 4 COLUMBIA YLnwOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

H. L. BOWDOlN.

THEATRICAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.5, 1912.

1, 146,548. Patented July 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INJ/EN r012 HARRY L. BOWDOIN', OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

.THEATRICAL APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. BOWDOIN, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of the city of Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Theatrical Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in theatrical apparatus, and consists in the novel features, arrangements and organization of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide novel apparatus comprising a pool of Water and other features for use in giving aquatic exhibitions or performances and which may be quickly applied to a stage for permitting drowning, disappearing, and arising from the water and appearing to stand on same and other scenes to be enacted, and, after such performance, be quickly removed from the stage so that the stage may beusedfor other acts.

To this end my invention preferably comprises a stage, a portable tank of considerable depth underneath said stage, a shallow movable canvas tank placed on the stage and connected, through a trap in said stage, with the said portable tank, and air containing means )elow the level of the water and connected with said portable tank into which persons jumping or diving into the tanks andentering the lower portabletank may insert their heads so as to breathe the air therein, whereby such persons may remain below the surface of the water any requisite length of time and finally ascend through the water or find an exit through said aircontaining means Without reappearing at the surface of the water.

My invention embraces novel constructions and arrangements of the air containing means enabling the person or persons below the surface to leave the water and enter said means and with great convenience move about therein; elevators enabling a person who descended through the water to be brought to the surface, such elevator or elevators not being visible from the surface, and the person appearing to rise and stand on the surface of the water without effort; a system of air-locks enabling the person or persons below the surface of the water to pass out of or enter the lower tank at will, and other novel features, all of which will be fully un- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 5, 1912.

I Patented July 13, 1915. Serial No. 724,220.

derstood from the description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of a stage equipped with the apparatus of my inven tion, and Fig.2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on the dotted line AA of Fig. 1. i

In the drawings, 1 designates a stage or platform of any suitable outline or size, 2 is a frame-work forming the sides or rigid borders of the shallow canvas, rubber or fabric tank 3 supported on said stage; 4 bolts by which the edges of the fabric are held in place on the frame-work 2; 5 inwardly and upwardly inclined wash-boards secured to said frame-work by said bolts to prevent the water from splashing over the sides of the tank; 7 the lower portable tank below the stage, and 6 a depending neck portion of the tank 3 protruding downwardly through the trap in the stage and clamped water-tight to the open top of the water holding part of said tank 7. The tank 7 is of general rectangular shape and of considerable depth and sub-divided into compartments 40, 41, 42, the compartments 41, 42 being closed at their upper ends and the compartment 40 being open at its upper end and receiving the downwardly extending neck portion 6 of the tank 3. The compartment 40 is designed to hold water and be in communication with the tank 3, as shown in Fig. 2, while the compartments 41, 42 will contain air, under pressure, and afford the air-containing means to be entered by the performers who descend below the surface of the Water so that said performers may remain concealed during any requisite period. The inner side of the compartment 40 is defined by the partition 8 which extends part way down from the top of tank 7 and partition 9 which extends part way up from the bottom of said tank and to a somewhat higher level than the lower edge of the partition 8, as shown in Fig. 2, said partitions 8, 9 being on separated vertical planes so that a person standing within the compartment 40 near the partition 9 may have his head and shoulders within compartment 41 adjacent to the partition 8, such person thus being enabled to remain within the water and at the same time breathe the air contained in the compartment 41.

The compartments 41, 42 are separated by an air-tight partition 10 containing a sealed door 11 which may be opened to permit a person within the compartment 41 to enter the compartment 42 or a person within the compartment 42 to enter the compartment 41, both compartments constituting airreservoirs. The wall 12 of the tank 7 also contains a sealed door 13 which permits persons to leave the compartment 42 without reappearing on the stage, it being understood that when the door 13 is opened the door 11 leading to compartment 42 will be closed. The air within the compartments 41, 42 or within the compartment 41, if the compartment 42 shall be absent, serves to prevent the water in compartment 40 overflowing the partition 9 and entering the eompartment 41. Air for compression and breathing purposes may be pumped into the-compartments 42, 41 through suitable pipes 27, 28, and whenever desired wires for electric lights and signals may be installed in these compartments.

The tank 3 is shallow but of adequate surface extent to create the appearance -of a large pool and, as shown in Fig. 2, this tank is in direct communication through the neck 6 with the compartment 40 of the tank 7 so that when all of the partsof the apparatus are in operative position the water is of considerable depth and readily permits ofactors or persons jumping or diving into the same, care being taken that a dive is always made at a point where the actor or person will descend through the neck 6 and into the compartment 40. The tank 3 will be made of flexible water-proof material such as canms, rubber or the like, and as aforesaid secured to the framework 2, and said tank being thus formed saves the stage from becoming wet and in addition may be readily applied to and removed from position. After the apparatus has been in use and it is desired to have another, act of different nature performed on the stage, the water may be drawn from the tank 3 and compartment 40 through an outlet drain 26, and thereupon the material of the tank 3 may be inserted downwardly into the compartment 40 and the opening in the stage, at the neck 6, closed by a suitable trap-door, leaving the stage entirely free.

I preferably provide over the rear portion of the shallow tank 3 a raised platform 14, and from this platform I provide a series of steps 15 leading downwardly into the compartment 40, this platform and these steps permitting of the performance of certain scenes, such, for instance, as persons marching across the platform and down the steps and disappearing into the water. In all of the scenes which may be enacted with the use of the apparatus of my invention the persons descending into the water may readily pass to the partition 9 and insert their heads up wardly into the air compartment 41, and thus remain below the surface of the water as long as maybe desired. I also preferably providethe compartment 40 with an elevapulleys 20, 21 over which said cable passes,

and a drum 22 on which said cable may be wound when the platform is to be raised and unwound when the platform is to descend, said drum being equipped with means for rotating it consisting of agear wheel'23 on the drum shaft, .a pinion 24 in mesh with said gear wheel and a crank25 to be operated by ,an attendant for communicating motion to said gear wheel and drum. The at tendant who may operate the crank 25 may stand within the compartment 40 close :to the partition .9 With his head in the compantment 41. The elevator apparatus just described will be used in carrying out certain effects, .asfor instance, :if desired, a performer in the water may stand on the platform 18 and be directly elevated by the attendant at the crank '25 so that such person would appear to ascend vertically without effort through the Water ,andstanding on the platform, have the appearance of standing on ornear the surface of the water.

The apparatus .hereinbefore described permits of the enactment of various aquatic scenes, unnecessary to be described, and said apparatus is of a form and construction adapted for theater purposes and to be readily applied to a stage and withdrawn therefrom. The tank 3 merely rests upon the stage, while the tank 7 is supported on planking 29 and timbers 30 which are supported on jacks {31 bywhich the tank 7 may be adjusted upwardly and downwardly to suit such conditions as exist.

.Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

-1. Theatrical apparatus for aquatic performances comprising a stage having an opening therein, a shallow water-tank of adequate surface area placed upon the stage about said opening, and a commodious water-tank of considerable depth below the stage and communicating through said opening with said shallow tank and having below the upper level of the water therein an air-compartment in which performers descending into said lower tank may insert their heads for breathing purposes, said aircompartment extending vertically from the floor of the main tank .and while communicating with the water compartment being partitioned therefrom and devoid .of water from said floor upwardly. I

2. Theatrical apparatus for aquatic performances comprising a stage having an opening therein, a shallow water-tank of adequate surface area placed upon the stage about said opening, and a commodious water-tank of considerable depth below the stage and communicating through said opening with said shallow tank and having belowthe upper level of the water therein an aircompartment in which performers descending into said lower tank may insert their heads for breathing purposes, said shallow tank being formed mainly of flexible material, as canvas, rubber or the like, and having a neck portion extending through said opening in the stage and secured to the en trance to said lower tank, said flexible material also being capable of being pushed downwardly into said lower tank when it is desired. to clear the stage and close the opening therein, and said air-compartment being at one side of the water compartment in said lower tank and overhanging a part of the same at said side.

3. Theatrical apparatus for aquatic performances comprising a stage having an opening therein, a shallow water-tank of adequate surface area placed upon the stage about said opening, and a commodious water-tank of considerable depth below the stage and communicating through said opening with said shallow tank and having below the upper level of the water therein an air-compartment in which performers descending into said lower tank may insert their heads for breathing purposes, said air compartment being immediately at the side of the water compartment and overhanging a part of the same at said side combined with an elevator and means for operating the same in the lower tank for elevating performers directly up through the water to an exposed position above the same, said elevator being so located with respect to the aircompartment that the operator thereof may have his head in said compartment.

4:. Theatrical apparatus for aquatic performances comprising a stage having an opening therein, a shallow water-tank of adequate surface area placed upon the stage about said opening, and a commodious water-tank of considerable depth below the stage and communicating through said opening with. said shallow tank and having below the upper level of the water therein an air-compartment in which performers descending into said lower tank may insert their heads for breathing purposes, said lower tank having its water-compartment separated from the air-compartment by an upper partition extending part way down from the top of the tank and by a lower partition set off from the vertical plane of said upper partition and extending part way up from the bottom of the tank, whereby performers in the water near said lower partition may place their heads in said air-compartment.

5. Theatrical apparatus for aquatic performances comprising a stage having an opening therein, a shallow watertank of adequate surface area placed upon the stage about said opening, and a commodious water-tank of considerable depth below the stage and communicating through said opening with said shallow tank and having below the upper level of the water therein an air-compartment in which performers descending into said lower tank may insert their heads for breathing purposes, said lower tank having its water-compartment separated from the air-compartment by an upper partition extending part way down from the top of the tank and by a lower partition set oif from the vertical plane of said upper partition and extending part way up from the bottom of the tank, whereby performers in the water near said lower partition may place their heads in said air-compartment, and said lower tank also having a second air-compartment into which performers may pass from the first air-compartment and separated therefrom by an air-tight door.

6. Theatrical apparatus for aquatic performances comprising a stage having an opening therein, a shallow water-tank of adequate surface area placed upon the stage about said opening, and a commodious water-tank of considerable depth below the stage and communicating through said opening with said shallow tank and having below the upper level of the water therein an air-compartment in which performers descending into said lower tank may insert their heads for breathing purposes, said aircompartment being immediately at the side of the water compartment and overhanging a part of the same at said side combined with a platform over a portion of said shallow tank and steps leading from said platform down into said opening connecting the two tanks, said steps being at the side of the deep tank opposite to said air-compartment.

Signed at the city of Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey this 1st day of October A. D. 1912.

HARRY L. BOWDOIN.

W itnesses L. O. MosHnR, G. D. BOWDOIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

